Combination vacuum can and rim sealed can opener



Sept. 13, 1955 P. F. KEENEY 2,717,441

COMBINATION VACUUM CAN AND RIM SEALED CAN OPENER Filed Dec. 21, 1953 Wg Z INVENTOR. .3 f

United States Patent O COMBINATION VACUUM CAN AND RIM SEALED CAN OPENER Patrick F. Keeney, Oakland, Calif. Application December 21, 1953, Serial No. 399,530

6 Claims. (Cl. 30-123) This invention relates to improvements in means for removing the weakened strip from cans containing vacuum of which opens the can, are provided with a key whichis customarily attached to the top or bottom of the can. The use of this type of key is laborious and rather trying, since it is rather .dilficult to keep the roll on the key and the following portion of the strip in' line, and unless so done, the strip is very ditficult to remove, and often results in cuts and scratches of thehands or fingers. It also requires that a'key be provided with-each can since the coil of stripmetal cannot readily beremoved from the key and could readily result-in injury to the person attempting such removal.

My invention eliminates the necessity for these keys, makes removal of the weakened strip easy and safe with no possibility of injury to the person, and also permits quick, easy and safe removal of the-wound strip,'and is formed as a part of any type of can opener which has a feed wheel and shaft, and means for rotating the shaft and feed wheel for advancing the can forcuttin'g out the top and with which my invention does not interfere.

in describing the invention reference 'will be had to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1.is a side elevation of a can opener showing my invention applied thereto. 1 1

Fig. 2 is a front end elevation with a portion of the operating handle broken away.

Fig. 3 is a sectional elevation through the feed wheel hub with my invention incorporated therein.

Fig. 4 shows a modification of the vacuum strip key locking and retracting means.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary view drawn to an enlarged scale to show the tapered key.

Fig. 6 diagrammatically illustrates the operation of my invention and the added function of the feed wheel.

Fig. 7 shows my invention applied to the conventional hand can opener.

This invention is applicable to any can opener, either wall or hand type, which has a feed wheel for feeding the can to the cutter, which cutter may be of either, the Wheel type or blade type, since the type of cutter has no bearing on the operation of this invention.

The can opener illustrated in Fig. 1 is of the wall or table type for which reason the mounting means is not shown. This can opener comprises a base 10 which terminates at the forward end in a hub 11. An arm 12 projects upwardly from this hub and has a cam lever 13 pivoted to the upper end as indicated at 14, this cam lever terminating in a cam 15. A cutter frame 16 has an opening to pass over the arm 12, and which frame is 2,717,441 Patented Sept. 13, 1955 2 upwardly urged by a compression spring 17, the frame being pivoted to the frame or base 10 as indicated at 18.

The cutter frame has a lateral extension 19 whichterminates in a yoke 20 in which the cutter wheel 21 is pivotally mounted. v

The feed wheel 22 is normally mounted on a solidshaft which has bearing in the hub 11, with an operating element, such as the crank 23 of wing lever 24 fixed on the other end, the crank being standard for wall and table types of can openers, While the wing lever is standard, for hand types and operated by the thumband finger.

' As will be noted, all feed wheel type can openers operate on the same principle, that of placing the rim of the can over the edge of the feed wheel, then depressing the cutting wheel to cut into the top of the can adjacent to the rim. is moved up and forward with the cam 15 depressing the cutter frame which depresses the cutter to a point just slightly below the top edge of the feed wheel. Operating the crank advances the can while thecutter cuts the top out of the can. With the usual handtype fragmentarily illustrated in Fig. 7, the cutter and frame are hand held while the wing lever 24 is operated -by the other hand. Y

-My invention changes the feed wheel shaft to a hollow shaft 25 which 'is merely the standard shaft provided with a bore extending axially therethroughlas indicatedv end. The crank or wing lever is also modified by.forming a slot transversely in one end of the hub as indicated at 27, or an extension 28 having the slot 27 is fixed to the end of the crank or lever hub as indicated at 29, for application to can openers already marketed, thus making the invention an attachment a can opener.

A key 30 consisting of a plain rod slotted 'atone end as indicated at 31 and tapered as indicated at 32, is slidable in this axial bore, and has suitable keying and retracting means at its other end such as the crossarm 33 or knob 34.

employed.

"For removing the weakened strip, the tongue-'37 is raised from the side of the can by some suitable imple-w ment such as a knife. The can is raised and the tongue moved into the slot 31 and moved inwardly to have the top of the can in contact with the feed wheel. The crank or wing lever is then operated to roll the weakened strip onto the mandrel or slotted portion 38. When the entire strip has been removed, the crossarm 33 or knob 34 is retracted manually, which strips the wound strip off the tapered mandrel.

Thus, the invention provides a convenient and useful addition to any feed wheel type can opener and which will require no changes other than the substitution of a hollow feed wheel shaft and the application of suitable locking and retracting means for the mandrel, and, neither the can cutter or the strip remover interferes in any manner, one with the other.

I claim:

1. A can opener having a feed wheel, a feed wheel shaft, a cutting member mounted for manual adjustment toward and away from said feed wheel, and manually operable means for rotating said shaft at will, a passage formed axially through said shaft, a bearing for said shaft, a key member axially movable and non-rotatable in said shaft, said key member being movable to two In the one shown in Fig. 1, the lever 13 available to anyone having positions in one of which the key member extends outwardly beyond said .feed wheel to form arnandrel .having a diametric slot formed therein for reception of the tongue of a weakened opening strip on a vacuum can for removal of :the strip with the side face fsaidfeed wheeloperating as gauge cooperative with the top edge of thezrirn ofathe can, and in the :other. position said-keymember is retracted within said bearing and feed wheel foroperation of said can opener as a can cover removing device for-cutting thetop froma rim-sealed can through cooperation between the cutter member: and the feed wheel, retraction of saidkey =member extracting the key member from the wound strip through cooperation with the side face of said feed-wheel.

2. Means for removing the weakened opening strip on a vacuum can comprising a can opener having a feed wheel, a shaftgand a bearing for said shaft, a cutting'wheel mounted for-manual adjustment relative to said feed wheel, rnanuallycperable rotatingmeans fixed on one end of said shaft, said feed wheel being fixed on the other end :of said shaft, a passage formed axially through said shaft, a key member slidable and non-rotatable "in said passage and having a mandrel portion at one end projectable beyond said feed wheel, said mandrel-portion having aterminal end and a diametric slot formed inwardlyfrom said terminal end for reception of the ifree tongue-on saidstrip with said feed wheel operating as a gauge cooperative with the top edge of the can during removal of the strip, means for advancing and retracting said key member at will respectively for the operation of removing a weakened strip, and, for withdrawing said mandrel portion from the coiled strip on the mandrel and clearing the cutting end of the can opener for operation as a normal can opener through cooperation between'said cutting wheel and said feed wheel.

3. A structure as defined in claim 2; said manually operable means foradvancing and retracting said key member and for maintaining said key member against rotation in said shaft comprising-a second diametric slot formed inwardly from the other end of said shaft, and a transverse key means integral with 'the other end of said key member and-including gripping means and slidable' in said second diametric slot.

4. A combination selective rim-sealed can 'opener and vacuum can sealing strip remover comprising, a base having-a feed wheel: shaft bearing, a cutting wheel support adjustably mounted on said base andhaving a cutting wheel rotatably mounted thereon, a feed wheel 'ishaft rotatable in said bearing'andhaving a feed wheel fixed on'one end in cooperative relation to said cuttingwheel:

and having manual rotating means at the other end, said cutting wheel being movable to aposition for cooperation with said feed 'wheel for cutting the top out of -.a

can, an axial bore formed through said shaft, a key com- .prisingtaflkeyshaftslidahleandlnonerotatable in .said axial bore and terminating at one. end in a mandrel having a diametric slot formed therethro'ugh to receive the tongue of a weakened strip on the side of a vacuum can with said feed wheel functioning as a guide and thrust gauge for the top edge of the rim of the can, said key shaft having keying means at its other end for locking said key shaft to. said feed wheel shaft said key shaft being manually accessible for advancing said mandrel for removal of said weakened strips and being retracted through cooperation with -theside wall:of-a rim-sealed :can for operation of the can =0pener for. cutting out the top of a rimsealed cant 5. A combinationcan openeriior selectively cutting the top out of a rim-sealed can and for removing the weakened strip from a vacuum can, comprising a base having a feed wheel shaft bearing having a feed Wheel shaft rotatable thereinandnhavinga lfeed wheel .fixed at one end :and'rotating :means at athe-iother end, .a' cutter frame movably -supported' by-ssaid base and having a cutter cooperatively-' related to=said feed-wheel-for cutting the top-out of a-rirn-sealed canya-key-:shaftcaxially slidable and non-rotatable in anaxial passage formed through said feed -wheel shaft- -and terminating at one end in a mandrel having a s'lit -formed therein for zreceptionnf the free tongue ofa-weakened strip on the side tofa vacuum can with the rim of the vacuum can rotating against the end face of the feed:whe'el upon :rotation ofsaid feed wheel shaft, said-key'sha-ft being iretracted :through cooperation of the side wallof -arim sealed scan to. :be opened and being accessible for -manualprojection .to tongue cooperative position at-will.

A'ean'opener having afeed wheel-having a feed wheel shafti andoperating-means formotation thereof, a. cutter operatively related to said :feed.;wheel :for cutting the .top out of arim-sealed can, :a mandrel raxially slidable and non-rotatable in a -passagesformed taxially invsaid feed wheel shaft and having a diametricsslitnto receive the free'tongue ofaxweakenedastrip .onlavacuum can with the=end-faceof-said feed wheelsoperating as a gauge cooperative --with the.-top edgetofsithe of the vacuum can-during removal-of the weakened 'strip (through rotation of said feed Wheelchaftmndibeing retractable within said feed wheel shaft for operation of :the can opener for opening rim-sealed-cans.

,iReferencesrG-itedjn the, file or patent UNITEDSTATES 'PATENTS 

